Improvement in water-proof shoes



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JOHNSON LEISON, OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-PROOF SHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,4l9, dated November6, 1866.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHNSON LETsoN, of NewBrunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber Boots and Shoes;and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, in which is represented, in vertical section, a rubber overshoeconstructed in accordance with my invention.

My invention relates to that class of rubber shoes in which an upper ofcloth, felt, or other suitable fabric is combined with a rubber foxingand sole; and its object is to produce a shoe which, while water-proofor impervious to moisture at those points where the shoe is most likelyto become wet, shall yet be ventilatin g and afford perfect opportunityfor the insensible moisture and perspiration from thefoot `to pass off.The improvements therefore which I have made the subjectof thisapplication have relation to the construction of the upper-the only partofthe shoe which can be made ventilating without detractin g from itswaterproof properties, and they consist in interposing between the clothvamp and inner lining a sheeting of rubber under such an arrangementthat' the air is free to circulate between the lining and the rubber,and also,if desired, between the vamp and the rubber, while, at the sametime, the upper is still kept waterproof, and prevents the water ormoisture from reaching the foot.

In order to effect these improvements, I take, before the shoe is puttogether, the cloth upper and attach to its under side a thin sheet ofrubber, either by means of cements or by pressure between calenders.need not be spread over the whole surface of the vamp, but may onlyextend up sufficiently high to cover that part of the upper which isliable to become wet. The vamp thus prepared is attached to the lining,forming the upper, which is secured to the other parts of the shoe inthe usual way. The woolen or felt lining, however, is not cemented tothe waterproof vamp, but is secured to it only at its edges, the rest ofthe lining being perfectly loose, and detached from the sheet of rubberinterposed between it and the vamp. The effect of this arrangement, isthat the air is This sheeting.

free to circulate between the lining and vamp, and a medium is thusfurnished by which the moisture from the foot is carried oii.v The sameprocess may be employed to make the quarter Water-proof, the liningremaining detached from the water-proof quarter.

In order to still further promote the ventilating of the shoe, therubber sheet which is interposed between the lining and the vamp neednot be cemented or calendered to the vamp. It will be sufficient to haveit secured at its lower edge to the vamp or foxing, leaving the otherpart of the sheet entirely loose and separate from the vamp. The airunder this arrangement can circulate as well between the rubber sheetingand the lining, the three parts which compose the upper-viz., the clothvamp, sheeting of rubber, and lining-being y loose and unattached toeach other except at their lower edges, while at the same time therubber sheeting will eifectually keep the water ing.

The shoe there shown consists of the following parts: the sole c, foxingb, vamp c, interposed sheet of rubber d, and lining e.

Before the shoe is put together I take the vampc, and to its under sideI attach, by means of cement or by passing .the two be tweencalender-rolls, a thin piece of rubber, d, which extends upon the upperto the height indicated by the line x. The lining e is bound to the vampat its edge, but with this exception is entirely loose and unattached tothe vamp throughout its whole extent. It will thus be seen, by referenceto the drawing, that a space is left between the rubber d and 'vamp cand lining e, which enables the air to circu late freely through theupper and affords a passage for carrying off the insensible perspirationand moisture of the foot. The lining of the quarter f is made loose alsofor the same purpose. Instead of making the whole surface of the vampWater-proof, I have found it best to attach the rubber to the vamp onlyto the extent indicated by the line this being ample for all practicalpurposes, while it increases materially the ventilation of the shoe.

The rubber sheet d, instead of being cemented or calendered to the Vampc, need not be attached thereto except at its lower edge, at the pointwhere the vamp, lining', foxng, and rubber .are secured to the sole a.This arrangement still further increases the ventilation, the air beingfree to circulate between the rubber (l and vamp e, as well as betweenthe rubber and the lining e, while, at the same time, the rubber stillkeeps oft' all external moisture from the foot. The upper thusconstructed is secured to the other parts of the shoe by the methodusually employed in the manufacture of this species of rubber shoe,

JOHNSON LETSON. Witnesses: V

K. T. B. SPADU, H. M. VAN GLUF.

